"Paintings With Personality"

This is a quick sketch I did of my friend, Charley. 

Summer evenings are so beautiful, Honey and I often enjoy taking the paddle boat out on the lake. When we do, Honey gets the boat, which is at the bottom of our hill, and paddles it over to the dock where I am waiting. Honey holds onto the dock to keep the boat steady while I board. Getting in isn’t easy because the paddle boat is much lower than the dock.

The other night, as I was getting into the boat, Honey lost his grip on the dock, causing the boat to jostle and float away. I had one foot in the seat of the boat and the other on the dock. After a second of doing the splits, I lunged for the boat, landing face down with my head on the pedals, my knees on the floor, my feet on the seat and my fanny in the air! I was jammed in there so tight, I couldn’t move. Honey had to remove my sandals so I could get my feet under me and stand up. Later, he told me my backside hadn’t been sticking up all that high! He should have kept that little tidbit to himself! I know I looked ridiculous, deranged and possibly a little crazy.

Which is how I came upon the subject of “demented artists”. There are many examples of artists who have been labeled crazy. Some people even say that in order to be a great artist, whether a painter, dancer, writer or a musician, a person has to be at least a little crazy. Studies have proven there is no connection between mental illness and creativity. In fact, there are more great “sane” artists than otherwise. These creatives continue to work, producing wonderful art far into their old age. Careful observation will show that insanity is a hindrance rather than an asset in creating art; because the artist must have a break in their illness in order to be able to work.

Creative people aren’t deranged, they just think differently from other people. And, different thinking isn’t a symptom of craziness. Artists are generally more emotional than non-creatives as well. Being emotional doesn’t mean they are bipolar or depressed, it just means they feel more deeply than other people. Those deep feelings help them to be artists who can deeply touch the people who are reading, listening to, or viewing what they have created.

A creative personality doesn’t have the symptoms of a mental disorder. And the results from a creative personality are interesting and beautiful, not so with mental illness. Creativity is actually healthy because it can change and improve all our lives.

Artists, particularly painters, are often connected with mental illness. We all know that some artists have suffered with mental illness, but so have many non-artists. The arts, in fact, are used to help people who are suffering from mental illness. Insanity hasn’t been proven to be a requirement of great art. Hard work, dedication and a love of what you are doing is the only thing prerequisite.

I survived the boat incident with a wounded pride but that’s about all. Learning is always good, and I learned that I want to get a rope to hold the boat to the dock before I try to get in again.

Please comment below. Best, Judy